Pieces of me

What are some words that represents you and your life?

Go to http://www.wordle.net/ to create your own words.

A strong faith

I wonder if those two woodpeckers ever worried Noah.
I highly doubt it.

I pray that one day I will have faith as strong as Noah had.

Happy Father's Day

May each of you fathers out there have a very Happy Father's Day, and this goes for those mommies who have to be moms and dads both. You deserve an extra special day.

It is sooo me

It is sooo me. Don’t you just love the looks of my new blog? I do too. It’s soooo “me” with my pink laptop and cup of hot coffee. :-)

I have to admit, I cannot take the credit for this awesome makeover, as I am not the talented person who created it. I only selected the image that I wanted put on it. My sweet friend Danielle designed this for me.

Yep, anyone that knows me, this design fits me to the tee.

Saying I love you

I don’t really forget to tell my husband that I love him, in fact I tell him many times each day. I just thought this was a good time to tell him again.

Saying I love you, and letting him know just how special he is to me is very important to me.

Do you tell your loved ones that you love them often enough?

A Family United

If you were to think of some of your most treasured objects what would they be? What material items holds special meanings for you?

I am a sentimental person, and could think of many things that I value. I cherish my Bible, my wedding rings, our families photo albums, old love letters these are all things that are near and dear to my heart. Another item I especially love is the Unity Sand vase that my husband and I along with our children created at our wedding that now has a place of honor on the fireplace mantel.

At our beach wedding less than two years ago down at North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Eric and I decided we wanted to have a Unity Sand ceremony as a very special way of blending our two families together.

We began the ceremony by placing a small rock in the bottom of a glass vase to represent our religious beliefs as Christ is the foundation of our family, and then we each poured a small amount of colored sand from our separate containers on top of the rock in the vase. My sand was blue, and Eric’s was green representing us as individuals.

Then, one by one, each of our children added their own sand of five different colors on top of ours signifying the blending our two families are now one creating a beautiful colored layering effect. Lastly, Eric and I poured the remaining parts of our sand into the top of the vase together, mixing our blue and green sand together to symbolize that we could never be separated.

As you can see today our beautiful vase sits next our wedding photographs on the fireplace mantle with a candle in the top section.

Heal the wound but leave the scar

Today is a very emotional day for me and I’m struggling to put into words what my heavy heart is feeling.

I created this blog as a place where I can express my feelings and yet, I don’t know how to do this, I don’t understand what is preventing me from purging my thoughts into this blog.

I lay in bed in the early hours of the morning earlier today trying to sort out these emotions and failed, all l I could do was weep and pray in the darkness. God alone knows what is best for me, and I know that he has a reason for the pain my family is experiencing.

My loss of self is unexplainable and still I question, is this our destiny?

I feel broken today, like no one else understands how I am feeling. I have such an open bleeding wound inside my heart, yet there is a deeper scar that remains.

My head knows that God is gracious, and he understands the depths of my pain, but today my heart doesn’t feel comforted. I keep remembering a song and it's message speaks volumes to me.

"Heal the Wound but Leave the Scar"

Heal the wound but leave the scar
A reminder of how merciful You are
I am broken, torn apart
Take the pieces of this heart
And heal the wound but leave the scar

Don't let me forget
Everything You've done for me
Don't let me forget
The beauty in the suffering.

Maybe this is what I am seeking today… a reminding scar from a healed wound.

Are You a Coffee Snob?

Do you have one particular drink that is your ‘go- to drink’ when you need something to quench your thirst that you are a snob about? Are you one of those who insists on having a certain brand of coffee?

It’s no secret that I am a not really a Coffee Snob, but sweeten Wawa coffee is my drink of choice, and an ice cold bottle of Starbucks Vanilla frappuccino® is my favorite cold drink. I enjoy it morning or night.



I especially enjoy Vanilla and Mocha frappuccino's.



I usually enjoy at least two cups of coffee each morning before beginning my day. I like the quickness of tossing a pod into my Keurig and less than 30 seconds I have a steaming hot cup of coffee perfectly brewed because I am usually in a hurry each morning running out the door.

What is your favorite drink, what satisfies your thirst?

Opposites attract

Have you ever been in a relationship with someone who is a complete opposite from yourself? My husband and I are this way. We've found it can be interesting, challenging, and even frustrating at times.

He likes the Discovery, National Geographic, and Sci-Fi channels.
I prefer to watch the news, drama and comedies shows.

He’s more into rock and roll, and sings loudly to Bob Dylan.
I'm a little bit country and hum softly to Carrie Underwood.

He listens to the radio.
I am an iPod fan.

He is a night owl, and prefers to start his day at 9 AM.
I am an early riser, and try to get up earlier.

He reads spiritual, historical nonfiction, and things about nature.
I prefer spiritual, inspirational books, and romance.

He favors his quick warm showers.
I love a long hot relaxing bath.

Our list of opposites could go on and on with our different tastes in movies, hobbies, room temperatures, our preferences of driving stick shifts vs. automatic vehicles, truck vs. soccer mom SUV; to him being a proud Yankee, to my southern pride.

One might wonder where the common ground we meet is. First and foremost Eric and I meet over our love for God, secondly our committed love for each other, our families, being one another’s best friend, special fleeting looks, pillow talks and shared laughter only we understand, singing along with Bruce Springsteen, watching Eagles football games, cooking dinner together, romantic walks on the beach, serene picnics at covered bridges, and playing with our precocious grandchildren.

What makes a relationship work when couples appear to be completely opposite from one another? That is a question has been discussed and debated for centuries, and yet I'm not sure there is a single correct answer. However, I genuinely believe that these types of relationships can and do work.

Even though my husband and I are extremely opposite in numerous ways, we feel our strong differences compliment and balance each other out. We each have own diverse characteristics and traits and we often pull strength and learn from the other.

So how does a couple like us, who are so very different, stay happily married? It takes work and we respectfully encourage each other’s differences in our likes and dislikes. Often there are situations that require us to make an effort to view the others opinions with open-minds and be willing to respectfully compromise when the need arises. After many trials and errors we are now better able to express our own thoughts as complimentary attributes.

We have learned to find value in and embrace our differences. Our love allows us to acknowledge each other’s strengths, and overlook flaws. We build each other up to bring out the best in one another mainly through our unique sense of humors and laughter.

We try to give the other enough space and independence, which in turn fosters our feelings and emotions. We try to resist the temptation to be judgmental, and it's not always easy to do when we're both headstrong.

My husband and I share the same dedication for our marriage, and to us, the most important thing is the way we communicate with each other. This doesn’t mean we always understand each other completely or can even see things clearly through the others eyes. There are times when we simply cannot agree on the issue at hand. Yet, neither would ever want to be married to someone exactly like ourselves. We need this variety to nurture and help us to continue to grow closer in our relationship.

Eric said it best when he said, “we are each weaker without the other, and combined our strength exceeds what either could accomplish on our own”.

Many times it’s been said, "Opposites attract", and that old adage may still have some truth to it, but even so, these opposites continue to love each other deeply and wouldn’t change a thing (much) about our mate. I’d say we were well-balanced loving partners who are committed for life. Most importantly we recognize that it is God’s love and blessings that holds us together.

What about you and your partner are you more similar or opposites?

Creature of Habit

I have discovered I am a creature of habit. I have adopted certain good habits that I practice routinely, and yet I have developed others that do not benefit me. I am not someone who resists change, nor do I encourage it. Some of my behaviors I have no desires to change, although I realize I need better discipline in changing some of my more unhealthier habits. My will power is often weak at best in the self-improvement area.

Daily rituals are an essential part of maintaining a consistent lifestyle for me, and I’ve found that if my weekday routines are altered it seems to temporarily throw me off the course of my day. I am similar to Bill Murray’s character in the Groundhog’s Day movie in that some ways it appears I’m reliving each day repeatedly, and that’s not always a bad thing for me. I wonder if others live their lives by habitually repeating the same things day in and day out as I do.

I usually try to wake up by 8:00 each morning, brush my teeth, and take my medications. That is the first two important things I must do upon awaking. I spend the first hour of my day enjoying my quiet time in prayer and my daily devotions while enjoying my morning cup of WaWa French Vanilla coffee.

Later I typically can be found munching on a bowl of breakfast cereal while reading the news online, answering or writing emails and commenting on blogs and facebook. Then I face the challenges of the day whether it is laundry, dishes, grocery shopping, appointments, or whatever it may be for that particular day.

Some days there isn’t a lot of excitement, yet I especially enjoy those quiet days at home and it’s important that I set aside some time just for me at some point in the day.

My evenings are always spontaneous, and I prefer them this way. I am against strict dinner schedules and I like to just go with the flow or whatever the mood is at the moment. I enjoy spending quality time with my husband relaxing watching TV, reading, writing a blog, and winding down from the day’s events before bedtime.

For my everyday life, I’ll continue puttering along with my daily rituals that work fine for me, while singing my own silly songs, and feeling grateful to God for having another day to share with my family. Most importantly, I’ll just continue to not dwell on the negative issues of the world that I have no control over, and just be appreciative of the things that enrich my life.

Gone but not forgotten

On Saturday morning May 30, 2009 our family lost our beloved “Mom”, she was 85-years-old.

We had a beautiful life celebration service for her. She was a huge part of our daily lives, and we're going to miss her terribly. Pastor Buddy gave a lovely memorial tribute to mom, and our friend Steve sang two of her favorite songs. Our church family has been so incredibly supportive throughout her lengthy illness. The outpouring of love, encouragement, food, and flowers from everyone has been overwhelming.

It’s been a continuous whirlwind with lots of friends and relatives visiting. It was great having all of our family here to remember mom. And yesterday the last of the kids have flown back to their homes, and our home is now very quiet.

As I was preparing my morning cup of coffee getting ready to do my daily devotion today, I realized my faithful prayer partner won’t ever sit with me again to do this as we had done so many times in the past. I felt a profound sadness come over me, yet I know that the grieving process will take some time to work through.

It’s difficult to put into words what mom meant to me, she was so much more than just a mother-in-law she was one of my closest friends who blessed my life. I loved her dearly, and cherish our short time we had together.

Although we may feel sad by our loss, we know its heaven’s gain and she is looking down from there watching over us. We have the reassurance that we will see her again one day, and that is comfort enough.

And God shall wipe away all tears of their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. Revelation 21:4

Rest in peace mom.